


White Clover: Think of Me

by romanrogers



Category: Daredevil (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Childhood Friends, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-07
Updated: 2016-02-07
Packaged: 2018-05-18 16:32:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5935213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romanrogers/pseuds/romanrogers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Why do you always smell everything?” Vladimir asks curiously.</p>
<p>“I have a good sense of smell, from that I can usually tell where things are and can tell who’s who,” he explained.</p>
<p>“Ah, like superpower?” Vladimir asks in Russian.</p>
<p>Matt hums questioningly and looks over to Vladimir.</p>
<p>“Superpower.” He amends, English this time.</p>
<p>Matt laughs reverently, “Yeah like a superpower.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	White Clover: Think of Me

The flowers are really pretty in spring. Matt used to like their vibrant colors but now all he can do is enjoy the sounds they made when they sway in the wind. That’s okay though, it was very calming.

 

Matt comes to this special spot whenever things got particularly overbearing- like when the sounds and smells get to be too much. Matt’s own scent is so strong sometimes that it gives him a headache.

 

His nose was broken and he was currently sporting a nasty black eye. He got it reset by the nun in the orphanage that smells like lemons and hand lotion. An alpha he notes sourly. Matt isn’t fond of alphas, they are arrogant and mean and it doesn’t help that they have most of the advantages just handed to them in life.

 

He isn’t sure how long he sits in the meadow but he can tell that it is nearing night time by the way the air begins to smell crisper, more cold. Distantly, Matt could hear footsteps approaching, he jumps up and looks to where the sound was heard.

 

Matt was not sure what to do, should he greet the person? Or walk past them and hope not to provoke them. He settles for a greeting and awkwardly messes with the handle of his walking stick.

 

“Uh, hi,” he says. “Who are you?”

 

The person must not have seen him or did not expect for him to say anything at all but they replied nonetheless saying, “What’s it to ya’ _blind man_?”

 

Russian, Matt notes. He doesn’t know much but he’s pretty sure that he used a slur by the tone of his voice. “Nothing, I just-“ he splutters embarrassingly, “Sorry, I’ll be on my way.”

 

A light breeze wafted from the hills just as Matt inhaled. He was hit with a cocktail of scents, first and foremost was leather, then smoke, and the heady, dark, musky smell that came with alphas. Matt gulped nervously and began walking back from where he came, which happened to be the direction the other boy came from. When Matt passed him, he grabbed Matt’s wrist in a strong hold.

 

“Vladimir,” is all he says.

 

Matt tenses a little and tilts his head towards their hands, “Matthew Murdock, but you can call me Matt.” He realizes last minute that he may have just implied that they could see each again and is at a loss for what to say next.

 

“I mean, only if you want to though…”

 

Vladimir’s grip slowly eased its original pressure until he let go of Matt’s arm completely, his touch lingering as it slid away.

“I’ll be seeing you, _omega_.” He tells Matt then walks away in the opposite direction. Matt quickly shakes himself and scuttles off back to the orphanage where the nuns chastise him thoroughly when he comes back.

 

 

♧

 

 

This is bad, he’s usually home by now- his scent blockers are bound to wear off any minute. Matt begins moving slightly faster as nervousness begins to set in.

 

Matt finally got a good whiff of the man he was carrying over his shoulder causing him to stumble slightly in surprise. _He remembered that smell_ , he thinks as he lays the other man down about as gently as he could from the awkward position that he carried Vladimir in. Vladimir let out a long, high-pitched groan when he hit the ground then slowly began to turn himself over.

 

“Don’t move,” Matt orders. “You’ve been shot.”

 

Vladimir angrily spits out angry, gargled Russian syllables, and no doubt insults, as a response and Matt feels slight annoyance begin to build in him.

 

“That sounds pretty bad, but I don’t speak asshole.”

 

Vladimir’s heartbeat stutters for a moment before going back to a steady pace, “I’m going to kill you for taking my brother’s head.”

 

Matt’s stomach curls with confusion, “You got the wrong guy, I don’t kill people.”

 

“Not even scumbags like you who deserve it.” He adds.

 

Vladimir laughs humorlessly, “You dropped Semyon off roof. Put him in coma.”

 

“Yeah but he’s still breathing, isn’t he?”

 

“Your mask and smell-“ his voice breaks. “I found… and what was left of my brother,” the last part coming out as a sneer.

 

“I didn’t kill your brother-,“ Matt tries explaining but is cut off.

 

“You lie!”

 

“You think I’m the one who blew your operation to shit, too?” Matt asks rhetorically, already knowing the answer, “You’re being played- by Fisk.”

 

“The man you work for.”

 

Matt rears his head in surprise and squints, “Look I don’t know what you’ve been told but it’s more of Fisk’s games, he’s trying to put you in the ground. I’m not. Choose a side.”

 

“I choose my own,” Vladimir turns his head to the side spitting blood at Matt’s feet.

 

“Not an option,” Matt shoots back, unfazed. “Fisk made sure of that.”

 

“What do you want?” he asks defeated.

 

“Fisk, owning up to everything he’s done-,”

 

Vladimir laughs for real this time, his whole body shaking pleasantly which soon contorted into hearty coughs.

 

“You’re a fool.”

 

“And you’re dying, so,” Matt says with an ironic smile, tilting his head slightly for emphasis.

 

“If I do what you want, and give you what you want to know…” he pauses, “What do I get out of it?”

 

Matt leans in with a slight smile, “Payback.”

 

Vladimir looks at him with hooded eyes, “I have counterproposal-,” he says. “Suck my dick,” and with that, his head turns to the side as he slowly passes out.

 

“Vladimir.”

 

No answer.

 

“Vladimir,” he tries again turning his head over to face him again.

 

He slaps his face lightly trying to get a reaction but there’s nothing. Matt can’t help but get a little panicked, Vladimir was dying and it was getting to be the time of night where he needed to take more scent blockers.

 

He fumbles for the burner phone instantly clicking Claire’s contact and the call button. It rings a few times before she picks up and he sighs in relief.

 

“Please tell me that all this, isn’t just you dealing with the Russians,” is the first thing she says as she comes on the line.

 

Matt laughs quietly, smiling to himself, “Nope wasn’t me, but I need your help.”

 

“I found somebody who has intel on what I’ve been looking for, but he’s been shot.”

 

“So call 911,” Claire states as a matter of fact.

 

“Can’t they’re the ones who shot him.”

 

“So you want me to come to you while all of this goes on,” she clarifies sarcastically.

 

“No, I want you to walk me through stabilizing him,” Matt explains. “But there’s something else you need to know though-,” he starts. “ The man I’m trying to save… It’s Vladimir.”

 

“The shithead alpha that had me beat up?” She exclaims loudly, Matt holds the phone away from his ear slightly, wincing. “That’s who you want me to help?”

 

“Look you have every right to tell me to go to hell but he’s important, Claire.”

 

She doesn’t answer for a long time and Matt becomes anxious, his omega pheromones beginning to bleed through. “Claire?”

 

“Is there an exit wound?”

 

“Thank you,” he sighs with relief, turning Vladimir over and feeling along the stretch of his back. “Uh, no.”

 

“Is there a first aid kit around?” Claire wonders out loud.

 

“I’m in an abandoned warehouse,” Matt says flatly.

 

Claire huffs in exasperation, “Well is there anything in there that you can use?”

 

“Hang on,” Matt says breathing in deeply. “Nails, duct tape, broken glass, wood, old emergency kit, a bunch of plastic sheeting-“

 

Claire cuts him off, “The emergency kit, are there flares in it?”

 

Matt crawls over to the box and drags it back over to where Vladimir lies, he digs around feeling for what Claire is asking for, and bingo. “Yeah, two.”

 

“Alright, you’re going to cauterize the wound.”

 

“Shouldn’t I dig the bullet out first?” Matt asks.

 

“This isn’t a movie, if you cut him open and start digging around you’ll kill him before you get what you need out of him.”

 

“Alright, so how do I do this?”

 

“Just light the flare and hold it close to his skin until the wound seals,” Claire directs.

 

“Okay, cauterizing the wound. I’m hanging up now, by the way,” Matt informed her before pocketing the phone and lighting the flare.

 

He held it an inch away from the gunshot and cringed as Vladimir’s guttural scream filled the room. He began to grab at Matt’s hand to push him away and Matt struggled briefly before he covered Vladimir’s mouth and straddled him so he could finish burning it closed. Vladimir passed out again from the pain and Matt couldn’t help but feel a little twinge of guilt build in his chest for his old friend.

 

Another heartbeat in the building. Shit. Matt walks to the corner, hiding in the shadows and listens more closely. It’s a man, beta, he’s talking to someone but no one else is there, there’s a beep- walkie talkie, it must be a cop he realizes.

 

He waits in the corner until the cop enters the room, he didn’t get a chance to move Vladimir so he is the first one that the man sees. He yells at him a few times to put his hands in the air but he is still passed out, Matt moves from behind the cop and tries to hit him on the back of his head to knock him out but tripped, giving away his location.

 

Matt curses under his breath and moves to kick the gun and flashlight out of his hands and flips him onto his back. Matt sat on his chest and his knees pinned the beta’s arms. The walkie talkie made a sound getting Matt’s attention. “You are going to tell them that this is a false alarm.”

 

“I say that, you gonna let me walk then?” The cop asked tightly.

 

“Eventually.”

 

Matt moves to grab the walkie talkie clicking the communication button and puts it near the other man’s face.

 

A heavy silence falls and Matt holds his breath. “Second floor! Perp in mask and wounded civilian-“ he is cut off by Matt punching him hard in the face, knocking him out cold.

 

Matt groans in aggravation tossing the walkie talkie and drags the cop to the wall then ties him up with some duct tape that he tripped on previously.

 

His scent is starting to get stronger, Matt noted nervously and began to waft the air around him trying to air out the room.

 

“You’ve been busy,” Vladimir’s voice rang from the other side of the room, he was probably referring to the cop.

 

Matt shrugs “The building’s surrounded. Ten officers, four dogs, and more are coming”

 

“How do you know this?” Vladimir asks curiously.

 

“Lucky guess,” Matt mutters walking over to the discarded gun on the floor.

 

Matt disassembles the gun and throws it to the side carelessly, walking over to the other wall where light was being filtered in from.

 

Vladimir grunts in protest, “We could have used that.”

 

“I’m not big on guns,” Matt replies going to pick up a plank of wood.

 

“Great, little stick. Much better.” Vladimir says sarcastically.

 

He tries to shift himself slightly but groans deeply in pain and curses in Russian, “What did you do to me?”

 

“Road flare. I cauterized the wound.” Matt answered.

 

“You… burned me?”

 

“Yeah, I had to stop the bleeding.” He states simply.

 

Matt throws the plank of wood to the side then grabs the collar of Vladimir’s shirt ignoring his protests and setting him up against the wall so he can sit up properly.

 

“The bullet’s still inside you, wouldn’t move around too much if I where you.”

 

“You expect me to say thank you?” He asks disdainfully.

 

“If I didn’t need you alive, we wouldn’t have to talk about this.” Matt tells him.

 

Vladimir chuckles darkly, smiling to himself, “So you could sit there and let me die, but you couldn’t kill me yourself. Is that where you draw the line?” He drawls.

 

Matt sits down on his haunches and cocks his head to the side, “Tell me what I want to know about Fisk.”

 

Vladimir rolls his eyes, “You think you’re any different from me?”

 

Matt feels anger begin to rise from within him, he tries desperately to push it down.

 

“From him?” Vladimir continues. “But you’ll get there, sooner or later we all do. alphas like us.”

 

Matt grits his teeth, “An _alpha_ like Fisk just took out your entire operation and he may not own all of the cops but he owns enough that you won’t even make it to a prison cell. I’m your only shot at getting out of this building alive.”

 

Vladimir breathes heavily, audibly gulping. “His lapdog came to us first-“ he starts. “Told us his employer had taken note, commended us on our business. Then invited us to be apart of something bigger.” He pauses breathing in deeply, “Made an agreement.”

 

“What did Fisk offer you?” Matt asks leaning in closer.

 

“Police looking other way, access to Chinese and their heroin-“

 

Matt cuts him off before he can finish, “He’s working with the Chinese?”

 

Vladimir smiles spitefully, “You really don’t know anything, do you?”

 

Ignoring him, Matt continues on, “I want names. Anything you know that connects to Fisk,”

 

“Only one name that matters.” Vladimir mutters.

 

“Who?” Matt whispers.

 

“We were going to rule this city, my brother and I, alphas in true. With my _clover_ when I found him.”

 

“Vladimir the name!” Matt urged.

 

“His name is-“ he says, voice fading out and eyes closing, “His name is-“

 

Suddenly Matt is grabbed by the shoulders and slammed down against the flooring. He can feel the air rushing around him as he realizes that Vladimir is about to hit him with a large plank of wood. He covers his head with his hands bracing for the pain to hit but it never comes.

 

The plank of wood slips from Vladimir’s fingers and he drops to his knees next to Matt and grabs him by the arm.

 

“Matvey _?_ ”

 

He looks at where Vladimir grabbed his arm. Realizing his scent is back with full force he tries yanking his arm free but Vladimir won’t let go. Matt feels the flooring shake below him and can’t move from the spot fast enough before the wood gives from below him. He hits the ground hard and loses consciousness.

 

 

♧

 

 

The next time Matt ‘saw,’ or more accurately _smelled,_ Vladimir, he was leaning against the railing to the stairs that Matt currently sat on, smoking a cigarette. Matt could smell his coffee-like musk but did not say anything out of polite habit and wanting to keep up pleasantries.

 

Besides what could he say? ‘Hey I remember your smell from the other day, do you remember me? I’m the blind omega kid you saw with the broken nose and black eye, ring any bells?’ But Matt didn’t have to say anything because Vladimir broke the silence.

 

“You are kid from other day, yes?”

 

Matt looked up slowly, “Yeah.”

 

Vladimir didn’t say anything back but instead took a long drag from his cigarette. Matt wrinkled his nose when he breathed out and coughed slightly when the pungent smell of smoke filled his lungs.

 

“How old are you?” Matt asked.

 

“Old enough, kid,” he replied nonchalantly.

 

There was a slight blip in his heartbeat just then, a lie, Matt noted.

 

“No, you’re not, you lied just then.” He informed him.

 

“Oh yeah, how can you tell, _omega_?” Vladimir asked blowing smoke into his face this time. Matt swatted the air around him wafting the dank smell away in disgust.

 

“I just can.”

 

Vladimir hummed thoughtfully then ruffled Matt’s hair as he passed him and walked away. Matt did not know how to feel after that encounter but he settled for Irritation. And intrigue. But mostly irritation.

 

 

♧

 

 

When he wakes a few moments later, everything rings. The smell of sawdust floods his senses and he groans with the effort it took to move. Matt turns himself over onto his back with great difficulty and lets out a deep cough. He manages to gasp a long stuttering breath and moves to heave himself up.

 

“You are man in mask?” Vladimir asks angrily.

 

Matt doesn’t say anything and resolutely turned away trying to sense for anything that could get them out of the warehouse. Sewer below this floor, that could be useful Matt considered. Vladimir snaps Matt out of his thoughts by grabbing his shoulder, dragging Matt down to face him.

 

“What is wrong with you?” Vladimir exclaims, “You are blind man!”

 

“There are other ways to see,” Matt explains.

 

“Crazy man,” Vladimir breathes.

 

“ _I’m_ crazy?” Matt asks. “You beat a father nearly to death and then took his child, you kidnap omegas and betas off of the streets and ship them off across sea to sell!”

 

He scoffs and pushes himself up, knocking away Vladimir’s hand. When he realizes that Vladimir’s heartbeat is becoming dangerously slow then just stops beating altogether.

 

Matt can’t breath, “No-“

 

He climbs atop Vladimir’s chest and pumps hard, doing a rough reenactment of what CPR looks like.

 

“No-“ he repeats again as anxiety begins to consume him.

 

“Come on,” he says pumping his chest harder.

 

“I’m not done with you yet, you hear me?”

 

He stops pumping and begins to hit his chest as hard as he can, desperately trying to save him. He finally wakes, gasping and coughing with shock. Matt stumbles off of him dazedly, panting and finally beginning to calm down.

 

“What-,“ Vladimir tries, his voice breaking off.

 

“You died. I brought you back.” Matt explains.

 

“You can’t even sit there and let me die, huh?” Vladimir smirks to himself, “Still have a crush on me, is it?”

 

Matt flushes gulping, “I did not-,” he started but cut himself off realizing that Vladimir was just trying to get a rise out of him.

 

“You always flush so pretty, even as children,” he says.

 

Matt didn’t reply, breathing in deeply trying to get a sense where everything was. He faced the wall, feeling along its sides, the dripping of pipes got his attention. It dripped lightly onto wood that’s not like the other planks that surround them. Chair maybe?

 

“What are you doing?” Vladimir asks staring at him curiously.

 

“Finding us a way out,” Matt grunts in reply as he walks to the other side of the room to rip the setup apart. Matt grabs the chair and throws it haphazardly over his shoulder. He rips the wood from the ground and clears the area until he finds what he’s looking for, access tunnels.

 

He smiles triumph when the walkie talkie that fell with them from the second floor rings out from in the silence, “I’d like to speak with the man in the mask, please.”

 

Matt pauses, slowly looking towards the sound.

 

“Hello?” it sounds off again.

 

Matt walks over to where the voice came from and picks it up. He swallows before speaking into it, “Who is this?”

 

“I think you know.”

 

 

♧

 

 

His breathing was labored and Matt swallowed with effort, closing his eyes and willing the pain to go down slightly. A drop of sweat slid down the side of his face with the amount of effort it took to stand back up and he took another moment to just breath and lean heavily against the hard alleyway surface and his cane.

 

A voice rang out from in front of him, “Kid?”

 

Matt looked unseeingly towards where the voice came from, “Yeah?”

 

“You look like shit every time we meet. Why is that?”

 

Matt grunted in faint acknowledgment, “Is that supposed to make me swoon?”

 

Vladimir scoffed and Matt could tell he was approaching by how his heartbeat could be heard more clearly. He attempted to pass the other boy by when Vladimir grabbed his shoulder, admittedly more aggressively than he meant to, making Matt flinch away from his touch.

 

“Let me walk you,” he demanded.

 

He really had no other options, as he was already being drug along so he just let Vladimir lead him like he requested. Matt gave him the directions to the orphanage tiredly and allowed himself to lean on Vladimir slightly to ease the pressure off of his ribs.

 

Matt is not sure why but Vladimir starts coming to the orphanage every morning after that day but he can’t really bring himself to complain, Vladimir is good, only occasionally dickish, company.

 

 

♧

 

 

Matt hurls the walkie talkie at the wall yelling in aggravation, breaking it into pieces.

 

He moves back to the tunnel entrance attempting to move the weight that blocked it with more motivation than before. He grunts with effort when his phone begins to ring.

 

Matt fumbles to answer, breathing heavily, “This isn’t a good time.”

 

“They’re saying you shot those cops, is that true?”

 

“No it was Fisk, it’s all Fisk.” He tells her, voice breaking slightly.

 

Claire becomes sympathetic, her voice softening, “Listen what I said last time I saw you-“

 

“No you where right. About me, about all of it, I just don’t want you getting caught up if it goes that way.” He tells her. “And Claire, if we don’t get a chance to talk again... you take care of yourself, okay?”

 

“Matt wait-,” but Matt already hangs up.

 

Matt can feel Vladimir’s eyes on him but pointedly ignores him in favor of trying to lift the opening. A hand touches his shoulder, getting Matt’s attention.

 

“This is not how I die,” Vladimir tells him then begins to pull with Matt.

 

The weight gives, lifting from it’s spot and Matt moves to pick Vladimir up but his hands are slapped away. Matt looks at him cocking his head in an after you fashion but Vladimir is in too much pain to move as quickly as they need to, so he has to swallow some of his pride and let Matt help. Vladimir stumbles to the wall when they reach the bottom of the hole.

 

“Where are we?” Vladimir asks looking around in bewilderment.

 

“Access tunnels, city is built on top of them.” He explains. “All we have to do is keep moving, find a way to the streets.”

 

Matt can sense a door somewhere in front of him and moves to find it, letting Vladimir lean heavily against him. It’s rusted shut and takes a fair amount of jiggling before Matt can open it. He sighs in relief when it finally gives and shuts the door behind him as he begins to feel stairs leading up to the surface.

 

♧

 

Sometimes Vladimir freaks Matt out a little. Not because he is mean to Matt or anything, but every once in a while he will say something off- like about beating someone bloody and it would be said with a scarily steady heartbeat indicating that he was not lying. Matt is okay with that though he doesn’t think that Vladimir is dangerous.

 

The first time Matt ever felt scared of Vladimir, he was running late so Matt sat near the front entrance of the orphanage where the two usually met in the mornings. He ate an apple while he waited and soon heard another heartbeat nearing him, Matt sniffed to see if it was him but it was just another alpha from his school. Matt ducked his head, hiding his glasses from view hoping that he would pass without recognizing him but that was too much to ask for wasn’t it, Matt thought sarcastically.

 

“Aw Matt! I haven’t seen you around in a while, how’re your parents?“ he asked snidely. “Oh wait-“

 

Matt didn’t reply, taking another bite of his apple, ignoring him. The apple was smacked from his hand roughly and Matt reluctantly looked up after a moment. He was dragged up by the collar of his shirt and brought face to face with the other kid.

 

Matt cringed at their close proximity. His scent was thick and smelled of citrus and chemicals from body spray, the worst combination. Matt leant his head back slightly and began to calmly push the other boy away.

 

Matt was let go and the coppery smell of blood began to fill the air. Matt backed up slightly, confused, until he heard the second heart beat. Vladimir.

 

Pained grunts could be heard from in front of him and Matt moved forward hesitantly.

 

“Vladimir?”

 

Matt leant forward to lightly touch the boy who was currently beating the other alpha senseless. He turned to look at Matt after he hesitantly touched his shoulder, all the while his heartbeat continued to be eerily calm. Matt felt a wave of fear begin to well up inside his chest and he touched Vladimir’s shoulder more firmly this time.

 

“Let’s just go-” Matt pleaded, “Please?”

 

Vladimir stood then took Matt’s arm and led him away. They stopped in an alleyway where Matt noticed Vladimir smelled strongly of another boy’s blood. He nervously bit his lip as Vladimir angrily spoke Russian under his breath.

 

“Are you alright?” He asks, speaking English again.

 

He brings his hand up to gently stroke his face taking Matt by surprise. He tenses under the touch and furrows his brow.

 

“Yes but I-“

 

Vladimir begins speaking in Russian again and Matt isn’t sure if he is talking to Matt or himself.

 

“You know I would not hurt you, yes?” He demands.

 

“Yeah,” Matt answers carefully.

 

“Good-“ he pauses, “You tell me if this happens again,”

 

“Okay, alright but I can handle myself-“

 

Matt is interrupted by Vladimir’s scoff, “Please, first time we met, you were beaten to pulp.”

 

“Dick,” Matt grouches.

 

Vladimir ruffles Matt’s hair affectionately and puts a protective arm around his shoulders.

 

“ _Asshole.”_

 

 

♧

 

 

Matt drops Vladimir onto his couch, breathing heavy. He turns to start dialing Claire when Vladimir grabs his hand, trying to get his attention.

 

“Take the mask off,” he demands in the same painfully familiar tone, “I want to see your face.”

 

Matt obliges, slipping his mask off from his head, then turns back to Vladimir so that he can see Matt’s face properly. Vladimir begins speaking in Russian roughly under his breath and Matt has the urge to roll his eyes. He shakes off Vladimir’s hand and reaches for his phone, calling Claire.

 

She doesn’t answer so Matt takes the hint and leaves her a voicemail asking her to visit as soon as she is able to. He flips the phone shut and breathes in deeply attempting to calm his frazzled nerves.

 

“I can’t patch you up now but Claire will hopefully come by tomorrow.” Matt tells him, moving to sit on a chair adjacent to his coffee table.

 

Vladimir grunts and shifts uncomfortably, “Your couch is shit.”

 

Matt laughs halfheartedly, “Yeah, I’ve been told.”

 

An awkward silence fills the space between them and Matt scratches at his neck nervously.

 

“So Claire’s an alpha, huh,” Vladimir drawls breaking the silence.

 

Matt splutters, “We are not talking about this.”

 

“I think we should, I made a promise and now here we are,” Vladimir replies making a vague gesture.

 

“Yeah and then you left, so.” Matt recounted.

 

Vladimir moves to sit up but winces and thinks better of it, “It was not my choice-“

 

“Doesn’t change the fact you didn’t even say goodbye.”

 

Vladimir doesn’t respond to that.

 

“I waited on that front porch for weeks but you never came, you were just gone.” Matt recalls, “I had no other friends, no family, I was alone and you left me too. There one day and gone the next.”

 

He doesn’t say anything else that night and sleeps a restless night on the couch with Matt standing vigil listening carefully to his heartbeat until Claire comes the next morning around six.

 

“Thank you, Claire,” he tells her gratefully as he lets her in.

 

“I need to get ready for work but you know where everything is-,” Matt says tiredly, dragging a hand through his hair.

 

Before Matt dresses he takes his suppressants and scent blockers, relishing as his scent becomes weaker and finally nulls itself into a spurious alpha musk.

 

Vladimir’s loud groans of agony echoed all throughout Matt’s house he couldn’t help but think that Claire took a little smug pleasure in causing pain to the man who beat her, though he couldn’t really blame her.

 

He slipped his glasses on before exiting his room and silently shrugged on his suit jacket. Vladimir and Claire where talking before he entered the room but he really couldn’t bring himself to listen in, too worn out to even try. Claire walks to Matt just before he heads out the door.

 

Matt looks to Claire thankfully before he leaves, “Thank you Claire. I really mean it, if you ever need _anything_ -,”

 

“I’m going to stop you right there,” she said patting Matt’s cheek. “Just keep anyone else from getting hurt.”

 

“I’ll try.” Matt reassured.

 

“Good.” She says, pausing. “He needs lots of bed rest, that is nonnegotiable.”

 

Matt nods, “Got it.”

 

“I mean it Matt, he shouldn’t even be able to stand without help for at least two weeks-,” she stresses.

 

“Okay, Claire I get it.”

 

A low growl is heard from the other side of the room. Matt looks over in surprise and Claire just sighs.

 

“I guess that’s my queue to leave.”

 

Matt smiles warmly at her, “Goodbye, Claire. And thanks again really-“

 

“For the love of god, just leave already!” Vladimir cuts in venomously.

 

Matt and Claire laugh awkwardly, and Matt holds the door for her on the way out. Looking back one last time at Vladimir.

 

“I’ll come back around twelve with lunch.”

 

Vladimir rumbles something in Russian and tiredly curls in on himself, falling asleep again.

 

 

♧

 

 

Matt and Vladimir sat in the meadow that they first met in silently taking everything in. Matt really liked how everything smelled, and the faint smell of roses smelled exquisite when blended with Vladimir’s thick scent.

 

“Hey, can you describe the sky for me?” Matt asks.

 

“Why would I do that, fool,” Vladimir counters.

 

Matt turns to him and smiles cheekily. “Because I asked you to?”

 

He hears Vladimir inhale deeply in exasperation and begins to do it the best he can.

 

“It’s blue like bird, and clouds are like sheep.”

 

Matt chuckles lightly earning a glare from Vladimir.

 

“ _Piss off asshole_ ,” he grumbles in Russian.

 

 

♧

 

 

The bloody body of Vladimir’s brother was roughly thrown back into the dark, grimy prison cell. He groaned and lifted himself off of the other body that lied below him.

 

“ _Where’s Oleg?_ ” Anatoly asks.

 

“ _It’s just us now_ ,” Vladimir replies. “ _We don’t need anyone else_.”

 

He heaves himself up to pick up his brother. He drags Anatoly to the wall to help him lean against it then sits himself down next to him. “ _Only each other_.”

 

Vladimir pats his chest and sits back tilting his head up to look at the ceiling. Anatoly nudges him, “ _Soon it’ll just be you, Vladimir._ ”

 

Vladimir shakes his head looking at Anatoly sternly, “ _No, my brother, we leave together.”_

 

He reaches over his side to reach a makeshift knife made of bone and hands it to Anatoly. “ _Tonight_.”

 

“ _Where did you get this?_ ” Anatoly asks.

 

Vladimir looks to the corpse lying on the other side of the room, “ _A gift… from Alexei_.”

 

He sniffs and moves to touch the body, “ _The guards shouldn’t have left him for the rats_.” He tells Anatoly as he turns the dead man over, revealing his side, ripped open and a missing rib.

 

“ _Will we see Moscow?_ ” Anatoly inquires hopefully.

 

“ _Moscow?_ ” Vladimir rumbles in disdain. “ _It’s a city buried in the past, we must look to…_ ”

 

Vladimir pauses as he attempts to break off another rib, grunting with effort. It finally gives sounding out with a satisfying snap.

 

“ _The future- America. Where we will rule as kings._ ” He finishes and holds up the bloody bone. It glitters beautifully in the faint light glowing inside the room. A little voice at the back of Vladimir’s mind screams a litany of _Matt_ and Vladimir can’t help but let the pleasing thought of seeing Matt again fill him with a renewed sense of hope

 

 

♧

 

 

The first week and a half Vladimir stays in Matt’s house he is barely lucid, only waking to eat, drink, take pain meds and relieve himself. Whenever Matt tries to help him walk from the couch he is always met with resistance from the other man. He flails like a child throwing a fit and growls from low in his throat while he tries to push Matt’s hands away. It is driving him nuts.

 

Matt can’t get a single answer out of him, as he just mumbles something in Russian or just flat out ignores him. He is not well enough to even have a proper conversation, always falling back asleep once he hits the sofa.

 

The first time Vladimir is actually awake when Matt comes home, he is sitting on Matt’s kitchen counter drinking a beer.

 

Matt huffs, “You really shouldn’t drink beer with all the Tylenol you have in your system, you know that right?”

 

Vladimir curses under his breath, “How did you even know?”

 

Matt taps his nose twice and walks over to the kitchen snatching the beer from his hands and placing it on the table.

 

He sighs trying to carefully lower him from the counter, “Come on, you need to be resting-,”

 

Vladimir slaps his hands away testily, “Fuck resting, I miss walking.”

 

“Well you can manage to miss it for a few more days.” Matt says, grabbing Vladimir under the shoulders and placing him on go the ground lightly. Vladimir makes a face then begins reaching for the beer from behind Matt’s back, taking a long sip to finishing it off.

 

“I need you to tell me all you know about Fisk,” Matt demanded, walking Vladimir back to the couch.

 

“Your beer is shit, German piss water.” He grumbles.

 

Vladimir grunts as he settles himself down on the couch and moves over to make room for Matt, patting the space next to him suggestively. Matt reluctantly sits down, placing himself all the way on the other side of the couch, with a decent amount of space between the two. Vladimir makes an annoyed sound but then lifts his feet up to place them on Matt’s lap and smirks at him smugly.

 

Matt squints at him from behind his glasses, scrunching up his nose on instinct. Vladimir makes a noise of delight, “The same face you made as child.”

 

He leans over slowly and takes Matt’s glasses, inspecting them silently and puts them on experimentally.

 

“So Fisk-,” Matt starts.

 

“Red is such an obnoxious color… it suits you well,” Vladimir says, pointedly ignoring him.

 

Matt’s eyebrows twitch, almost threatening to furrow but he restrains the urge.

 

Vladimir continues on, “Who picked these? They have interesting taste.”

 

“Will you even answer my questions?” Matt asks dryly.

 

“I ask questions too and have no answer,” Vladimir points out, taking off his glasses. He places them back on Matt’s face quickly, “Let’s play game.”

 

Matt raises his eyebrows skeptically, “A game?”

 

“ _Yes_ , I ask question you ask question. Whoever refuses to answer first, owes favor.”

 

Matt reluctantly agrees, “Fine, I’ll go first. Who is Fisk’s money man?”

 

“Leland Owsley,” Vladimir answers smoothly.

 

Matt silently muses over the name, plotting his next move against Fisk’s operation.

 

Vladimir speaks, breaking Matt away from his thoughts, “Was Claire your partner?”

 

Matt’s face flushes with embarrassment and leans his head back on the head of the sofa to try and will it to go down, “Almost, it didn’t work out though. With what I do and all, you can probably see how that could put a damper on romantic advances,” he says pausing. “That and it put her in danger, courtesy of you.”

 

Vladimir chuckles humorlessly under his breath, “I knew it. Are you two still-”

 

“My turn,” Matt snaps, not letting him finish.

 

“How is everyone connected? Fisk, the Chinese, Owsley, _you-_ how does this all work?”

 

“Leland supplies money, Fisk oversees business between groups. The Japanese-“

 

“The Japanese are involved?” Matt cuts in.

 

“Yes,” Vladimir replies leaning back. “Nobu is business man, has many connections, he provides security for transportation of heroin. The Chinese control the heroin supply and my men do shipment then split the money five ways.”

 

Matt sits in silence memorizing every word. He sighs and rubs his face, feeling an oncoming headache in his future.

 

“Where do you go every day in suit?” He asks.

 

Matt shakes his head slightly, turning himself to face Vladimir’s voice, “I’m a lawyer.”

 

Vladimir makes a noise of interest, “That’s a weird job for your kind.”

 

Matt feels old anger rise at the jab after being told so many times, but this time by an old friend, “An omega you mean?” He implores dryly.

 

“No,” Vladimir states simply, “Blind man, I meant.”

 

Matt gulps and begins to feel suffocated by the thick pheromones Vladimir is secreting.

 

“Who runs the Chinese operation?” Matt asks shakily, trying to switch gears.

 

“Madame Gao.” Vladimir answers immediately, “Do you still have promise I gave you?”

 

Matt’s fingers itch with the urge to touch Vladimir and he so badly wants to taste that musky coffee scent. Vladimir removes his feet from Matt’s lap and scoots over to sit next to him, then places a hand on the arm of the couch to cage Matt in. He straightens his back to sit up at his full height and towers over Matt, waiting for him to answer.

 

“Do you?” Vladimir leans closer, his heartbeat still steadily smooth.

 

Matt recalls his father’s bible lying in his nightstand and the clover that is preserved between the pages. He pushes past Vladimir’s arms and stands up, walking to the door of his room.

 

“I pass.”

 

He slams the door shut and breathes shakily. I am fine, Matt thinks reassuringly. This is just biology reacting to having an alpha this close. I’m fine, he thinks one last time.

 

 

♧

 

 

Matt breathes in deeply one last time, trying to memorize this moment, the feeling, the sounds, and the smells- simply perfect.

 

“Why do you always smell everything?” Vladimir asks curiously.

 

“I have a good sense of smell, from that I can usually tell where things are and can tell who’s who,” he explained.

 

“Ah, like _superpower_?”

 

Matt hums questioningly and looks over to Vladimir.

 

“Superpower.” He amends.

 

Matt laughs reverently, “Yeah like a superpower.”

 

 

♧

 

 

“You just gonna lie there all night?”

 

“Stick,” he acknowledges sitting up.

 

“Are you gonna lie there all night or get up off your ass?” He scoffs, “Jesus kid, I’m gone five minutes and you turn this goddamn place into a shit show.”

 

Matt picks himself up and is quick to snap back, “You’ve been gone twenty years. What are you doing back in my city?”

 

“ _Your_ city?” Stick questions. “Your city hates your guts.”

 

“Yeah, I’m handling it.”

 

“An old guy just lit you up, you ain’t taking care of jack shit,” Stick states hotly.

 

“Why are you even here?” Matt demands.

 

“To save you and everyone else in this god forsaken city from a horrible death.” He answers flippantly. “Well more or less.”

 

Matt sighs and Stick continues on speaking, “Take me to your house and we’ll talk there.”

 

Matt reluctantly shows him the way, jumping from rooftop to rooftop until he smelled the familiar odor of neon that came from the obnoxious electrical billboard outside of his house. They slipped in through the window hatch that connected to the attic and climbed down the attic latter to Matt’s living room. He hoped that Vladimir was sleeping or that he at least wandered off to a different room but with no such luck, as he was sitting just where he left him an hour ago.

 

“Back so soon?” Vladimir asked curiously.

 

“I have a guest,” Matt mumbled to Stick as he climbed down behind him.

 

Matt walked to the kitchen slamming the mask onto the counter, sighing.

 

“What a shithole.” Stick comments, throwing his walking stick and glasses onto the couch where Vladimir sat causing him to let out an angry yell.

 

“You have any idea what I pay in rent?” Matt asks, beginning to grow irritated.

 

“An expensive shithole apparently,” Stick says to himself looking to Vladimir.

 

“You have an alpha here.” Stick smells the air and looks at Matt sharply, “And so near his rut too?”

 

“That is none of your business,” Matt tells him.

 

“Alphas are a distraction, like furniture, and apartments…” Stick says kicking at Matt’s coffee table.

 

A low, angry sound rises from Vladimir’s chest and rumbles throughout the entire room, coating it in tension and unease on Matt’s part.

 

Stick feels the air and gives Matt an exasperated look, “Silk sheets, really kid?”

 

“Cotton feels like sandpaper on my skin,” Matt replies defensively.

 

“You’re better off sleeping on actual sandpaper than surrounding yourself with all this bullshit,” he states blandly.

 

“This is my life and I made something out of it.” Matt says angrily, “Without you. That’s the part that really pisses you off, isn’t it.”

 

“No, Matty. No, I’m proud of you, I really am.” Matt looks at him disbelievingly sensing the ‘but’ that bound to come along with it. “Don’t call me that.”

 

“But you’re a warrior, heir to the Spartans. Baddest of the bad asses.” This statement gets dry laugh from Matt. “You have to cut it all loose, the friends, the fancy job, _him_.”

 

Stick points a long finger at Vladimir, who began to rise from the couch in anger. Matt walks into the living room to stand in front of Stick.

 

“Relationships are a luxury that me and you can’t afford to have.”

 

Matt stares at him long and hard, “That’s why you left then? To protect me?”

 

“I had my reasons,” he answers vaguely.

 

“I was a kid-,” Matt starts.

 

“Is that what this is all about?” Stick scoffs. “Boohoo Stick left me so I’m going to bury my sorrows in the arms of a Russian Alpha?”

 

Matt steps forward, his anger rising fast. “Don’t push it Stick.”

 

“Or what? Christ you’re worst than your father.” Stick sneers, “Born to lose Battlin’ Jack, at least your daddy got paid when he hit the floor.”

 

Matt snaps, trying to grab Stick by the throat but his uncalculated move was used against him and Stick twisted Matt’s arm behind his back, pushing him roughly to the floor. Vladimir moves from behind putting Stick in a strong chokehold and rumbles angry, hushed Russian to Stick and is obviously surprised when he responds back in kind.

 

Stick chuckles _, “Slow your role there hotshot, I’m just teaching kiddo here a lesson.”_

 

Vladimir looks down at Stick then looks to Matt who is picking himself up from the ground.

 

“You got any beer?” Stick asks when Matt turns.

 

“Yeah, in the fridge.”

 

Stick pats Vladimir’s arm and he loosens his grip enough so that Stick can wriggle his way out of the headlock. Stick saunters over to the fridge popping the cap of his beer and moving to lean on the kitchen counter. Vladimir heaves himself down onto the couch with a wince and settles for listening to the two, observing their interaction with each other, and watching for any signs of another attack from either party.

 

Matt sits down next to Vladimir and finally asks the million dollar question, “So are you going to tell me what you’re doing here or is the suspense supposed to kill me.”

 

“You really have no idea what goes on in your own backyard, do you?” Stick shakes his head, popping open the cap open, taking a long drink. “The war, Matty. I’ve told you.”

 

“With who? You never got around to that part.” Matt wonders dryly.

 

Stick walks back to the living room and sits in the love seat across from Matt, propping his feet up on the coffee table between them. “Now, it’s the Japanese mostly.”

 

“The Japanese?”

 

Stick roles his eyes, “Christ,” he snarls. “ The other guy who was talking to the old man you were slapping around. He’s pretty high up, goes by many names but this time around it’s Nobu.”

 

“So, Nobu, if you want him so bad why’d you let him get away?” Matt asks cocking his head to the side.

 

“I don’t want _him_ , I want what he’s shipping in tonight,” he explains.

 

“Right, Owsley was talking about that. What is it, drugs or something?”

 

“A weapon, they call it Black Sky, the bringer of shadows.” He drawls, taking another sip.

 

“ _Shadow bringer_?” Vladimir cuts in. “How did they get Black Sky?”

 

Matt looks at Vladimir in surprise, “You know about this? What exactly does it do?”

 

Stick sighs, “Something that you don’t want in your world yet, kid.”

 

Matt laughs, leaning back, “Just say it.”

 

“Say what?”

 

“You want my help,” Matt says smugly.

 

“I want to help you help yourself. Nobu is in tight with Fisk, you hurt him, you hurt baldy.”

 

“How do you know about Fisk?”

 

“I know a lot of stuff,” He says, downing the last of the bottle. “This beer for example, sucks.”

 

“I told him to get new beer but he won’t listen.” Vladimir supplies from the sidelines.

 

“So, you need a friend is what you are essentially saying.” Matt clarifies, ignoring Vladimir’s comment.

 

“I need a soldier, someone committed, not some wide eyed idealist.” Stick corrects. “How many people have you killed to protect this city, Matty?”

 

Matt licks his lip and looks to his hands, mindlessly playing with his fingers.

 

“It’s war, kid. People are going to die, if it’s not you then it’s going to be the guy next to you and you’re still afraid to cross that line.” Stick sets his beer bottle down and stands up,“ Ride with me tonight, help me keep Black Sky off the streets. And I promise you this, Wilson Fisk will know the taste of fear when he meets you because you went to the guy he was scared of, and kicked him right in the nuts.”

 

Matt nods carefully, “Alright,” he says. “One rule though. No killing.”

 

Vladimir and Stick both scoff, “Pussy.”

 

 

♧

 

 

The two sit in comfortable silence when Vladimir suddenly speaks in a thick voice “Matt, here” Vladimir says suddenly.

 

Matt sits up on his elbows and turns his head to face Vladimir. He opens Matt’s hand gingerly and places something light in his hands. Matt looks down at his hand and then back up at Vladimir eagerly.

 

“What is it?”

 

“White clover,” he answers.

 

Matt tilts his head to the side, “What does it mean?”

 

Vladimir’s voice get’s deep and his scent becomes thicker with his pheromones projecting out, “Promise.”

 

“What kind of promise?”

 

“We’ll be together one day, you and I,” he says simply, stroking a hand lightly over Matt’s cheek. “ _You will be mine as I will be yours, we will meet again someday.”_

Matt leans in to the touch slightly, “I don’t speak asshole, you’re going to have to translate.”

 

Vladimir laughs softly moving his hand away, “It means think of me.”

 

“Well that doesn’t make any sense, of course I’ll think of you. You’re going to be here forever.”

 

Vladimir doesn’t say anything to that just lights a cigarette and begins to smoke, deep in thought.

 

 

♧

 

 

Matt walks down slowly from the stairs in a trance like state. Vladimir’s heartbeat could be heard in Matt’s bedroom, a small part of him was curious why but a larger part of him was relieved that he wouldn’t be in the room to witness this.

 

Matt tosses the fighting sticks onto the duffle bag lying on the floor, “You promised you wouldn’t kill anyone.”

 

“Yep.”

 

“Is this what your war has come to?” Matt spits, “Killing children?”

 

“That thing in that container was not a child. If you had just focused past your own crybaby feelings.”

 

Matt’s reply is cut off by Vladimir’s intervention, “You back so soon?”

 

“Go back to the room, Vladimir.” Matt commands shakily.

 

“Fuck no, you don’t order me arou-,”

 

“Go!” Matt says, finally snapping.

 

Stick heaves himself up when the door slams and begins to walk towards the front door but Matt blocks him.

 

“I’m not gonna let you kill that kid.”

 

“Oh, he’s already dead. I caught up with the van while you were dicking around with Nobu’s men.”

 

Matt staggers back a few steps.

 

“I put an arrow in that _thing’s_ heart.”

 

Matt’s resolve cracks and all of his anger comes flowing out passionately in swift movements filled with endless valleys of rage.

 

He punches Stick hard, dodging all of his oncoming blows and Matt lands a kick hard enough to slam Stick against the wall. Matt throws a side cabinet at him, hitting him hard on his side just before Stick counters with a sucker punch to his lungs, sending Matt sprawling back and onto his coffee table and breaking it into smithereens.

 

He stays still for a moment, disoriented and that is just long enough for Stick to climb on top of him, picking him up by the collar of his shirt and dragging him off of the floor and his feet. Stick turns and runs, ramming Matt into his bedroom door, breaking it off of his hinges. Dust is scattered everywhere and Matt coughs, gasping desperately for breath.

 

Stick drags him onto his feet this time and punches him, catching him before he can fall again. “Can’t even tag an old man,” he taunts.

 

Matt rears his head back and head butts Stick hard enough to hear bones crack. He scrambles gracefully from Stick’s grip rounding on him with a high kick and another punch but Stick catches his arm, bending it behind his back in a painful angle then puts him in a headlock.

 

Matt gasps for air, trying to figure a way out of this position when Vladimir breaks a lamp over the top of Stick’s head, bringing the two blind men toppling clumsily to the ground. Matt crawls over to Stick’s duffle bag, tossing it at his face roughly.

 

“Get out of my city,” he pants.

 

Stick and Matt both stagger up slowly. Matt gestures toward the door and Stick pats his shoulder twice, his hand lingering slightly and then he’s gone. Matt feels the weight of the loss in his chest but he is uncomfortably close with that feeling and manages to smother it. He understands perfectly, everyone will eventually leave him someday.

 

“Are you well?” Vladimir asks, coming to stand in front of Matt.

 

Matt ignores Vladimir’s question, instead saying, “Help me pick this up.”

 

Vladimir bends down, grabbing pieces of broken glass and carrying them to the kitchen where the garbage can sits. Matt silently picks up the remnants of his coffee table, piling the shards of wood under his shoulder when Matt feels a small paper cuff. He picks it up gently and it crinkles lightly under his touch He drops the wood that he piled under his arm and looks down unseeingly at the item in his hands.

 

His hands shake slightly and Matt’s eyes begin to sting. He wills the tears to go away, taking a deep calming breath and exhaling slowly. He doesn’t even hear Vladimir talking to him until he feels a hand touch his shoulder.

 

He turns his head towards the touch and looks up to where the arm leads and shakes it off. He feels a lump form in his throat and swallows it down, thickly.

 

He leans over to set the paper gently on the couch then picks up the wood that he dropped earlier placing it outside of his apartment to be taken out on garbage day.

 

When he finishes, Matt takes the bracelet into his room and lays it gently in his memento box. He strips off his clothes tiredly, not bothering to pick his door up to put it back in place or take his scent blockers.

 

 

♧

 

 

Vladimir doesn’t come to the orphanage to pick Matt up the next day, or the day after that, or the one after that. Matt sits on the porch each day for two months before he finally gives up. He puts the clover in his father’s bible and places it in a box that also holds a faded picture of Matt’s mother before she left and his late grandmother’s rosary. He slides it under his bed and does not think of any of those memories again for a long time.

 

 

♧

 

 

Matt wakes up in stages. The smell is what kicked off the waking process, which is soon followed by the sounds. The primary scent is coffee underlined with a familiar smoked musk that Matt can’t place at the moment. Deep steady breathing is what he notices next it’s so in tune with his that Matt doesn’t realize that there is another person in the room.

 

Matt is ripped away roughly from his slumber when cold air hit the juncture between his shoulder and neck. Matt inhales with a gasp and his eyes snap open with alarm. He tries to shift his position, finding it almost impossible with the pair of arms wound tightly around his middle and the leg wedged securely between Matt’s thighs and over his other leg, pinning his lower half down.

 

When he lifts up his head he realizes that he was tucked under another body’s chin and bumps their heads together hard. Vladimir groans, cussing under his breath. His scent is thicker than normal and Matt feels as though he is doused in ice water. Vladimir’s rut, he gulps.

 

“Vladimir,” Matt whispers urgently.

 

“What?” He mumbles.

 

“You need to let me go, your rut is starting and I need to take my scent blockers.”

 

“ _No_ ,” he whines, digging his face into Matt’s neck. He rubs his stubble along the column of his throat, irritating Matt’s skin and making it ache in protest.

 

Goosebumps rise along Matt’s shoulder blades and he can’t take the proximity anymore, feeling overheated, he moves his arms from his sides and pushes at Vladimir’s chest to put space between them.

 

A low, guttural, rumble sounds from deep inside Vladimir’s throat only making Matt’s movements become more frantic. He struggles with the strong alpha’s hold, grappling with the larger man for control.

 

Vladimir’s arms are still wrapped tight around Matt’s middle as he shifts positions and rolls Matt on top of him. Matt continues to wriggle as Vladimir lets out another annoyed sound.

 

“Just relax _Matvey_ ,” he grumbles. “ _M’tired_.”

 

Matt breathes heavily, stilling his movements. Vladimir’s grip slackens as he falls back under the cloud of sleep but Matt sits awake and alert. He calculates his movements, strategically moving Vladimir’s arms to wrap around his pillow and finally slipping away from him all together.

 

Matt watches as he breathes the pillows scent in deeply, relaxing even further into the bed. Matt won’t be able to come home tonight. Or for the next week.

 

 

♧

 

 

Matt puts off coming home for 3 days, there’s enough food in his fridge to last Vladimir for another few weeks and he is healed enough to walk without assistance, so there is nothing to fret about. He sleeps on Foggy’s couch one night and inside of his office the next two but there is only so long he can go without taking a shower.

 

Looking back as he approaches the door to his apartment, he could have said that the water wasn’t working or his electricity got shut off and so his heating didn’t work but it was too late now. He could only hope that the worst of Vladimir’s rut has passed.

 

He unlocks his door and opens it slowly, anticipating the tension that was to occur. The smell of Vladimir is so overpowering he backs up a few steps, covering his nose before entering.

 

He walks in cautiously mindful of the thick sweat coated stench of rut still prevalent in the air.

 

Hands grip at his biceps roughly pulling him towards a very sweaty, and very angry Vladimir.

 

Matt greets him awkwardly, shifting in Vladimir’s uncomfortably tight grip on his arms. He spits fury coated Russian into his face and choked off American curses, that even with Matt’s sensitive hearing, can’t decipher. The one phrase he can pick out from Vladimir’s jumbled words is _liar._

 

Matt swallows thickly, smelling the familiar old leather and parchment paper of his father’s bible laying on his kitchen counter along with the fading decay of a decade old white clover.

 

 

♧

 

 

Matt gasps, arching his back into Vladimir to attempt to bring them in even closer. A long stripe of spit coats Matt’s neck from where Vladimir was previously stationed- now moving slowly up towards Matt’s lips.

 

Vladimir sighs out heavily on Matt’s face, taking in another lung full of Matt’s scent, ducking down again to nose at his neck. His canines ache to sink their teeth into the juncture of the smaller man’s shoulder and Vladimir has no reservations against doing exactly that. He opens his mouth along the juncture between Matt’s neck and shoulder, bites hard enough to break skin.

 

Matt jolts, sobering up at the smell of blood, “You _bit_ me-“

 

Vladimir tears away from the wound smiling smugly down at Matt. “Yes.”

 

Matt stares at him dumbfounded, “ _You bit me,”_ he says again, shocked.

 

“Shut up and kiss me, _fool_ ,” Vladimir grouches, dragging Matt in .

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, my tumblr is sansaasnark, in case there are any lingering questions.


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